Montreal Alouettes sign Laval QB Arnaud Desjardins, five others

Photo courtesy: Laval Rouge et Or

The Montreal Alouettes have signed Canadian quarterback Arnaud Desjardins, the team announced on Monday.

The six-foot-four, 215-pound passer went unselected in the 2025 CFL Draft and returned to school at Université Laval, where he completed 75.6 percent of his passes for 1,873 yards, 14 touchdowns, and four interceptions to earn a second-team U Sports All-Canadian selection.

The Montreal native is one of the most prolific quarterbacks in U Sports history, having earned three RSEQ all-star selections, two second-team U Sports All-Canadian selections, and one first-team U Sports All-Canadian selection. He also led the Rouge et Or to Vanier Cup victories in 2022 and 2024.

Desjardins recently participated in Team Canada’s men’s flag football I.D. camp at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Man.

“We know Arnaud very well from having watched him play many times over the past few years, and he is a quarterback with excellent accuracy thanks to his strong arm,” said general manager Danny Maciocia in a statement. “We are happy to welcome him to our team, and his positive attitude will fit in very well with our group.”

The Alouettes have also signed American quarterback James Morgan, American running back Shomari Lawrence, American offensive lineman Reuben Fatheree II, American defensive lineman Malick Sylla, and American defensive back Damonte Smith.

Morgan was cut by the team in February. The 29-year-old appeared in 10 regular-season games last season for the Alouettes and made two starts after injuries to Davis Alexander, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, and Caleb Evans. He completed 55-of-93 passes for 547 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions, while rushing six times for 17 yards.

The six-foot-four, 229-pound passer was a fourth-round pick of the New York Jets in the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent his entire rookie year with the team without seeing the field during the regular season before being waived at the end of training camp in 2021. The native of Green Bay, Wis. had subsequent stints with the Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Arizona Cardinals, and Pittsburgh Maulers.

Lawrence was named second-team All-Conference at Missouri State this past season, where he rushed 199 times for 1,021 yards, caught 19 passes for 118 yards, and scored seven touchdowns. The six-foot, 210-pound native of Pompano Beach Fla. previously played at Florida International and South Dakota. He recently attended rookie mini-camp with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Fatheree II finished his collegiate career at Texas A&M this past season. The six-foot-eight, 330-pound native of Richmond, Texas was named a Freshman All-American selection in 2021, his first season with the Aggies.

Sylla made 59 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, six sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble over 46 collegiate games at Mississippi State. The six-foot-six, 255-pound defender was mostly a depth player with the Bulldogs, only making two starts.

Smith was named first-team All-Conference in 2025 at Middle Tennessee State, where he made 34 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups, one interception, and one forced fumble. The six-foot-one, 301-pound defender played 42 collegiate games with the Blue Raiders.

Montreal has also release American tight end Oscar Cardenas and American defensive back Derrick Langford Jr., and suspended American receiver Javon Gipson and American defensive back David Perales.

The Montreal Alouettes opened training camp on May 10. The team will play its two preseason games against the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday, May 22 and Friday, May 19. Final roster cuts are due on Saturday, May 30, after which the team will play its first regular-season game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday, June 4.

Montreal recently selected Arkansas tight end Rohan Jones with their first-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, though he is currently under contract with the Los Angeles Rams. The team’s other major offseason additions include quarterback Dustin Crum, receiver Jerreth Sterns, and returner DeVonte Dedmon.

In 2025, the Alouettes finished second in the East Division standings with a 10-8 record and beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final before losing the 112th Grey Cup to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.